1. Technical Field
This invention relates to vehicle article carriers, more particularly to a mounting apparatus for securing a slat of a vehicle article carrier to an outer body surface of a vehicle without the need to drill holes in the outer body surface and insert threaded fasteners through such holes.
2. Background
Vehicle article carriers are used in a wide variety of applications to secure various articles above an outer body surface of a vehicle such as a roof or deck wood of the vehicle. Many vehicle article carriers comprise a pair of slats which are mounted fixedly to the outer body surface of the vehicle. The slats are secured typically by fasteners known in the art as "riv-nut" fasteners. The rib nut fasteners are installed by first drilling holes in the outer body surface at a plurality of locations along the areas where the slats are to be secured. As will be appreciated, this is a labor intensive procedure and must be performed with precision to permit the holes to align with pre-formed openings in the slats which are being secured to the vehicle. Once the holes are drilled, the riv-nut fasteners are inserted therethrough. The slat is then positioned over the riv-nut fasteners and threaded fastening elements are used to secure these slat to the riv-nut fasteners. Thus, the use of riv-nut fasteners adds to the cost of the vehicle article carrier both in terms of adding more components to the vehicle article carrier and the labor necessary to install the slats on the vehicle.
In most vehicles, a channel exists where the metal roof panel is joined to the metal side panels by a plurality of spot welds. Some vehicle manufacturers have begun disposing hooks within these channels. The hooks are typically welded within the channels and form a very sturdy point of attachment. Also, since these channels are typically formed very close to the outer edges of the roof of the vehicle, these points of attachment are extremely structurally strong areas of the vehicle roof.
The above mentioned hooks have typically been used for securing pads designed to simply cover the channel to present a more aesthetically appealing surface. In some instances, these hooks have been used to mount brackets or other like elements. However, it is not believed that these hooks have heretofore been used in connection with any external devices or elements which enabled a slat of a vehicle article carrier to be secured to the outer body surface over the channel by attachment to the hook. This form of attachment would permit a slat to be secured to the outer body surface without the need for drilling holes and installing riv-nut fasteners in the outer body surface, and therefore significantly simplify and reduce the cost of installing the slats of a vehicle article carrier on the vehicle. Such a means of attachment would also increase the strength by which the slats are secured to the vehicle since the slats would be secured at a structurally strong point on the vehicle roof.
In view of the foregoing, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a means by which a conventional slat may be secured to an existing hook disposed within a channel of an outer body surface of a vehicle so as to obviate the need for riv-nuts and for drilling holes in the outer body surface.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for mounting a slat to an existing hook disposed within a channel of an outer body surface of a vehicle, where the apparatus may be secured to the hook without any external fastening elements or any fastening procedures such as welding.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which forms a low cost, simple to manufacture means for attaching a conventional slat of a vehicle article carrier to an existing hook disposed within a channel in an outer body surface of the vehicle.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a mounting apparatus which permits a conventional slat to be attached to an outer body surface of a vehicle in a manner such that the apparatus is concealed substantially entirely within a channel formed in the outer body surface of the vehicle so as to maintain a low profile of said slat on the outer body surface.